Freeville/Homer Ave. UMC's - Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost - 10/12/14 Sermon - “Many people are invited, but few people are chosen"

Sunday 10/12/14 Freeville/Homer Ave UMC’s

Sermon Title: “Many people are invited, but few people are chosen”

Old Testament Scripture Lesson: Psalm 106:1-6, 19-23

                                            

New Testament Scripture Lesson: Philippians 4:1-9

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 22:1-14

          Friends, brothers and sisters, welcome once again on this Eighteenth Sunday after the Feast of Pentecost. Pentecost, was that day so long ago that the Holy Spirit moved through the early church, filling them, causing them to speak in tongues, and it was day that the early church was born.

          In moving forward in our church calendar to All Saint’s Day, and All Saint’s Sunday, we have been given many good parables or stories that Jesus told. Jesus told various parables in the gospels, speaking to the disciples, other followers of his, to crowds, to high priests, to Pharisees, and sometimes to anyone who would listen.

          A parable can be defined as, “a short story that teaches a moral or spiritual lesson,” and these parables or stories, were told by Jesus to communicate certain truths, ideas, and elements of faith. In this way, the idea of a parable, at least in ancient Israel, was something that was not meant to be a fairy tale or mythology. Rather, it housed truths within its context.

          In fact, telling stories was very common place in many ancient cultures, and storytelling in general, is something that is common in many cultures and places on the earth, even today.

          In Jesus coming to earth, in Jesus being a first century Jewish man, Jesus, it would seem from the gospel accounts, knew well the customs, beliefs, and the ways of communication of his day. In this way, Jesus knew that parables were a tradition in ancient Jewish culture that went back to the days of the Old Testaments writings.

          So in this way, Jesus was trying to communicate to his audience in a way that they could understand. Yet today, we are quite a different audience, culturally, perhaps ethnically, and perhaps we are different as far as many other factors are concerned as well. So we then seek to understand the parables of Jesus Christ and the scriptures, through our own lenses of understanding.

          So when Jesus Christ said for example, in the gospel according to John 13:34-35, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” I think that Jesus meant this, and I take it to mean that we are to love all people, without exception. Even Buffalo Bills fans. Jesus said, by our love people will know that we are one of his followers. Our love for each other and for everyone, is how many will come to know us and to know our faith.

          In the parable or the story that Jesus tells us this morning, Jesus talks about a wedding party, or what we would commonly call today a wedding reception. How many of you like to go to wedding receptions? I know that I love to go to wedding receptions, and aside the call from God to serve as a pastor, and to preach the gospel, I like to officiate weddings.

          In fact, I remember one of the first weddings I officiated. I didn’t know the couple before meeting them to plan for the wedding, but they said, “We would really like you to come to the wedding reception afterwards.” I then said, “Are you sure?” They then replied, “we insist.” Well the actual wedding ceremony took about 10-15-minutes, then the wedding party had various pictures that were taken of the wedding party and the family. There were also people greeting the newlyweds and the rest of the wedding party, and many people congratulated them. After this, I got ready quickly, I then went to this very impressive reception hall.

          When I got to the reception hall, I made sure that I had freshened up a little bit, that my tie was on straight, and that I looked decent for the party or wedding reception. Then after more and more people arrived, the groom’s father said, “Pastor Paul would you bless this meal for us?” I then said, “sure I will,” and I proceeded to offer a prayer of thanksgiving over this young newly married couple, their families’, and the food that we were about to partake of. You see I was invited by the Father and the Son, but they still had expectations of me once I arrived at the wedding feast.

          After this, the groom’s father insisted that I go to the front of the line, right behind the newly married couple. I then said, “No, no, I can wait.” The groom’s father then said, “I insist.” Well, what an amazing dinner! Perhaps even magical! I might have seen the face of the very face of Jesus Christ at this dinner! Then as I was eating, I thought, “This is amazing! I wonder if I can officiate a wedding every weekend!”

          With this said, let us consider this morning, the question of why would a person deny an invitation to such a blessed and a great event as I was invited to? Why would someone not come and be so honored as I was, to such a great wedding reception?

          When looking at the reading from this morning from Psalm 106, the Psalm starts with 106:1 saying, “Praise the Lord! O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.” Now in the parable that Jesus tells this morning, a king invited many people to come to a wedding reception or party, out of the great love that he had for his people. Do we accept God’s “steadfast love,” which “endures forever?”

Psalm 106:4 goes on to say, “Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people; help me when you deliver them;” yet the people whom the king chose and invited to this party or wedding feast in the parable that Jesus tells this morning will refuse his invitation. Despite the favor and the love of the king, the invitees, or those “chosen” by the king, will refuse his generous and loving initiation.

          In the Apostle Paul’s Epistle or letter to the church in Philippi or the Philippians from this morning, Paul tells the church members in Philippi, “stand firm in the Lord.”

          The Apostle Paul then says, “The Lord is near. Don’t be anxious about anything,” to ask God to give us peace “that exceeds all understanding.” The Apostle Paul then encourages the church to focus things that are excellent, admirable, true, holy, just, and pure. If calls us, invites us, do we answer that call? Or do we ignore it altogether?

          In our Gospel reading from this morning, Jesus tells us about a King who invites many people to a great wedding party, or wedding reception. Jesus begins this parable by saying, as he did in many of his parables, “The kingdom of heaven is like.” Meaning this is how it will be in God’s heaven, or this is how it is in God’s kingdom.

          In this parable for this morning though, Jesus continues on, saying that a king prepared what was likely a great wedding feast for his son who was just married. The king had his servants go out to tell all those whom he had invited to the wedding feast, that the time for the party and the feast had come. Yet none of the chosen invitees wanted to come, as it seemed they just had better things to do. You see they denied the loving invitation of their king.

          So the king then sends his servants out a second time, and tells the servants, “Tell those who have been invited, “Look the meal is all prepared. I’ve butchered the oxen and the fattened cattle. Now everything’s ready.” Yet even with this second call for the chosen invitees to come to this elaborate wedding feast, the Gospel says that they “paid no attention and went away.” The Gospel says further, that some went “to their fields, others to their businesses.” Yet some of the chosen invitees even went one step further, and “grabbed his servants, abused them, and killed them.”

          Well as you can imagine, the king was enraged by this second rejection of his invitation and this killing of his servants. As a result, the king “sent his soldiers to destroy those murderers and set their city on fire.” After this, the king then said to his servants, well we still have all of this food and all of these seats at these tables. The king decided therefore, to tell his servants that since “those who were invited weren’t worthy,” the servants should go and invite everyone then could find on “the roads on the edge of town and invite everyone you find to the wedding party.”

          Well wouldn’t you know it, the new, but not originally chosen or invited people poured into the banquet hall of the king for this wedding reception. In fact, the servants according to the gospel, gathered people whom were “both evil and good,” and they were all together feasting and laughing. You see the king was content to invite all people, regardless of who or what they were to this great wedding reception or party.

Amidst all of this though, the king noticed that a man that wasn’t wearing “wedding clothes,” or clothes that would be suitable for a wedding. The king then asked this newly invited man, “Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?” The man was speechless, and then the king ordered his servants to tie up the man’s hands and feet and throw him outside “into the farthest darkness.” Then Jesus said, the “People there will be weeping and grinding their teeth.”

          Jesus then concludes this parable by saying, “Many people are invited, but few people are chosen.”   

          Well, I think it is interesting, like the parable of the vineyard owner from last Sunday, that Jesus speaks of a landowner or in this case a King, sending servants to his people. In each instance, the first group of servants are rejected, and then in each instance a second group of servants are rejected.

          Now in this parable the king did not send his son to his people, as his son was the guest of honor with his bride at the wedding feast. In the parable of the landowner however, the landowner did send his son, who was killed.

          So two sets of servants, then a focus on the son, whether as a messenger, or the one to be celebrated like in today’s parable.

          So what does this all mean then? Well the Old Testament of our Christian Bible, or what our Jewish brothers and sister would call the Hebrew Bible, or the Torah and Tanakh, can be broken up into five categories. Here are the categories: The Pentateuch or the Torah, the History, Poetry or Writings, Major Prophets, and Minor Prophets.

          Now we don’t have time this morning to unpack all of the categories of the Old Testament, but I would draw your attention to the two last of the five sections of the Old Testament, which are the “Major Prophets,” and the “Minor Prophets.” You see Old Testament Prophets, people like Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and etc. were broken into two categories, “Major Prophets,” and “Minor Prophets.”

          In some of Jesus’s parables he talks about a king or a landowner sending not one group of servants, but two groups of servants. There are two categories or groups of servants or prophets in the Old Testament. In these parables, Jesus then draws attention to the landowner of king’s son, who in the story line, would come after the two groups of servants that had been flatly rejected.

          You see God’s people had largely rejected the “Major Prophets,” then God’s people had largely rejected the second group of “Minor Prophets,” and now many of God’s people are even rejecting God’s very own son. Yet if the people that God has directly invited or called to be in his presence, to be with him and his son, reject the offer, he then will invite all people.

          So if the people of Israel rejected God, and both categories of his prophets, and if then even further, if they then reject his own son, then everyone will be invited. So the son of God has come for all people, not just some.

          So you see, God calls some, but invites many. If we answer that call or that invitation though, God expects us to come as we are, but not stay that way. If God has called us into his grace and into his gracious presence, God expects us to make an effort. God expects us to not necessarily literally change our wedding clothes, but he expects us to be spiritually and mentally changed. That our new clothes will be that of righteousness, of love, of justice, and of mercy. That people will know who we are, by our love and by our actions. That when people come into this church, they will feel love and joy, and feel it in great abundance. For this is why God sent his son.

          So my challenges to all of us this week, is do we do this? Do we really make an effort to love all people, despite ourselves? Do we really make an effort to welcome all people to God’s house, to God’s family, to the banquet feast of God’s son? I challenge us all to be a little nicer and little kinder this week to the people we meet and interact with, not just because it is a nice thing to do, but because Jesus Christ himself told us all, this is how you need to act and treat one another. Jesus instructs us directly to love and care for one another. Do we accept this invitation from God, from Jesus Christ? For “Many people are invited, but few people are chosen.” Amen.

Freeville/Homer Ave. UMC's - Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost/World Communion Sunday - 10/05/14 Sermon - “The Cornerstone"

Sunday 10/05/14 Freeville/Homer Ave UMC’s

Sermon Title: “The Cornerstone”

Old Testament Scripture Lesson: Psalm 19

                                            

New Testament Scripture Lesson: Philippians 3:4b-14

Gospel Lesson: Mathew 21:33-46

          Brothers and sisters, welcome on this the Seventeenth Sunday after the Feast of Pentecost. The day of Pentecost was a powerful day indeed. For on the day of this Christian holiday, nearly two-thousand years ago, the Holy Spirit moved mightily through the disciples and the members of the early church. This movement of the Holy Spirit caused the disciples and the members of the early church to speak in tongues, and propelled them to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ far and wide. The day of Pentecost is the official day that the Christian Church was born.

          This Sunday is also World Communion Sunday, were millions upon millions of Christians this day, partake of Holy Communion, the Eucharist, the Lord’s Supper, in a spirit of Ecumenism. On this World Communion Sunday, we with millions of other Christians worldwide, will “taste and see that the Lord is good,” and we come together in the common unity of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.

           With all of that said, I have a question for all of you here this morning. How many of you like to take walks in the woods? How many of you like to spend time in the woods, in general?

          For me, there is something that I have always found soothing about nature and God’s creation. When we go in the woods though, whether it be for a hike, for camping, and etc., we sometimes see remnants of days gone by, don’t we? Sometimes we might see an old structure, that seems like that it was eaten away slowly by the foliage of the earth, as the person who owned that structure no longer lives on that land.

          Sometimes in the woods we can stumble across an old cemetery. Maybe the cemetery is kept up by someone, or maybe it isn’t. You see at one time there was human life and activity there, but today the life and the activity that was present, is now just woods, or is now just over grown land.

          I remember some of my childhood down in Orange County, NY spending time in the woods with my friends. We would camp, play paintball, and do other fun stuff. I remember one time that I was in the woods, I was walking alone, and then suddenly I saw what appeared to be the remnants of an old stone fence. You know the kind of fence that is literally a straight row of carefully stacked rocks?

          As I was walking, and as this stone fence came more into my view, I also saw the edge of what appeared to be an old stone foundation. As I got closer, I noticed that it was in fact, an old stone foundation. Once I got to it, I looked it over carefully. What was immediately obvious to me, was that the house that was there, was gone, the people who lived in that former house were gone to, and their possessions were also gone. The fact that this land was vital and being used by humans at one time, was now no longer the case. You see what was, was no longer, yet the foundation was still present. My guess is, is that if I went into those same woods down in Orange County, NY today that the foundation of that house would still be there.

As I looked at the foundation, and as I walked around it, the parts I could see, as it was largely overgrown, were revealing. I then thought to myself, “the only thing that might be left of these people, their lives, their home, could very well be, this foundation.”

Now I’m no builder, but this foundation seemed well built to me. Sure there was crumbling in some places, but in the corners of the foundation, I noticed much larger stones. As if these bigger rocks were picked just for the corners, or the foundation of the home.

In our gospel reading for this morning, Jesus, speaking of himself, said to the chief priests and the Pharisees, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.”

When I was preparing for this sermon then, I thought of that old foundation that I saw in the woods in Orange County, NY when I was younger. When I read the gospel reading for this morning therefore, I then wanted to be clear on just what was meant by a “cornerstone.” Well, I then looked up the definition in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. The definition said that a cornerstone is, “a stone forming a part of a corner or angle in a wall; specifically: such a stone laid at a formal ceremony. Or, a basic element. Here is a definition from WWW.Wikipedia.Com. “The cornerstone (or foundation stone) concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, and it is important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.”

So this is what a cornerstone is historically and literally. In the Apostle Paul’s epistle or letter to the church in Ephesus, or the Ephesians, he says in 2:19-22, ^“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.”

So if one views Jesus Christ as the Messiah, and if one views Christ as the means by which we obtain salvation, it is pretty easy to see how Jesus being seen as the “cornerstone” places great significance on him both as a person, and in his full identity in God itself.

It is undeniable to me then, that we cannot have a full and a robust Christian faith, if we do not have a strong foundation in Jesus Christ. If we do not have a strong foundation built upon a solid “cornerstone,” on a solid rock.

Scripture says, to not build your house on the sand, but rather to build it upon what? To build your house upon the rock, upon the cornerstone.

The reading from Psalm 19 from this morning says in 19:1, “Heaven is declaring God’s glory; the sky is proclaiming his handiwork.” What is at the bottom of the foundation of our handiwork, of our faith?

This Psalm goes on to say that God is faithful, powerful, and that in him we can find truth, power, and a foundation made of solid rock.

This Psalm ends with 19:14 saying, “Let the words of my mouth and the mediations of my heart be pleasing to you, Lord, my rock and redeemer.” My friend Pastor John Aukema who pastors the Scott UMC and the Mid Lakes UMC, begins every sermon he preaches by reciting Psalm 19:14 in the form of prayer. It is interesting that it is said in this verse that God is our “rock.” That God is solid and sturdy, a rock.

In the reading this morning from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi, or the Philippians, the Apostle Paul said that all the things that make him righteous, are nothing without Jesus Christ. In fact, the Apostle Paul said, “I consider everything a loss in comparison with the superior value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” The Apostle Paul then says, he has given up his worldly goods and treasures to serve Christ. The reason that the Apostle Paul serves Christ is, “The righteousness that I have comes from knowing Christ, the power of his resurrection, and the participation in his sufferings.”

The Apostle Paul then concludes this portion of his letter by saying, “The goal I pursue is the prize of God’s upward call in Christ Jesus.”

In the gospel reading from the gospel according to Matthew from this morning, Jesus tells yet another parable or story. This parable or story is about a landowner who took his land and “put a fence around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a tower,” and then rented the land to tenant farmers. This was a sort of cash cropping agreement then.

After renting this land, the gospel then says that the land owner “took a trip.” When the time of harvest came, in order to make sure that the fruit of this harvest was collected, the landowner “sent his servants to the tenant farmers to collect his fruit.” When these servants arrived, they were grabbed by the tenant farmers who rented the land, “They beat some of them, and some of them they killed. Some of them they stoned to death.”

The landowner then sent a second group of servants to collect the fruit of the harvest, and again they were treated the same as the first group. In trying to figure out how to get the fruit that belonged to him, the landowner then finally sent his son. The landowner said, “They will respect my son,” and when the tenants saw the son they “threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.” They thought by doing so that they could claim the son’s inheritance.

Jesus then asks his listeners, including the chief priests and the Pharisees, “When the land owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenant farmers?”

They answer was that the landowner would kill and destroy those tenant farmers and replace them with good and loyal tenant farmers.

Jesus then said to them, “Haven’t you ever read in the scriptures, The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. The Lord has done this, and it’s amazing in our eyes?” Now the specific scripture that Jesus was citing was Psalm 118:22 that says, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.”

Jesus then tells the people of Israel that God’s kingdom will be taken from them, and given to people who will produce fruit. That if we reject Jesus Christ, the chief cornerstone, we will lose our very lives.

That the landowner is God, and that the people of Israel, the tenant farmers have rejected the servants, or all of the Old Testament prophets, and now they are rejecting the landowner’s, God’s son, Jesus Christ. So, what is the foundation of our lives built upon? What is our cornerstone?

I would like to close this morning with a very short story called “Two Cups.” Here is how it goes, “History has preserved for us two magnificent silver cups from the boggy marshes of Ireland. The first is known as the Gundestrup Cauldron and comes from a century or two before Christ, at the time when the Irish worshiped violent pagan gods. It is adorned with pictures of gods and warriors. One panel shows a gigantic cook-god holding squirming humans and dropping them into a vat of oil. These gods demand human sacrifice to appease their appetite.”

“The second cup is called the Ardagh Chalice and comes from the seventh or eighth centuries after Christ, a time when the Irish had turned to Christianity. Like the first it is a work of magnificent craftsmanship, but the God it depicts is radically different. It has a simple but intricate patterning. But this is a cup of peace, designed to be used in communion. As the worshiper lifts it to her lips she is reminded that this God does not demand human sacrifice, but instead sacrifices himself for us.”

 Brothers and sisters, this day, this week, consider the houses of your souls. On what do our spiritual homes rest? What is our “cornerstone?” If our souls are truly built upon the truth and graces of God, of Jesus Christ, do people see this in our actions, our deeds, and how we live our very lives? Amen, and praise be to our Lord Jesus Christ.

         

Freeville/Homer Ave. UMC's - Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost - 09/28/14 Sermon - “Who gave you this authority?"

Sunday 09/28/14 Freeville/Homer Ave UMC’s

Sermon Title: “Who gave you this authority?”

Old Testament Scripture Lesson: Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16

                                            

New Testament Scripture Lesson: Philippians 2:1-13

Gospel Lesson: Mathew 21:23-32

          Welcome once again on this Sixteenth Sunday after the Feast of Pentecost. Pentecost, was the day that Holy Fire filled the first followers of Jesus Christ, the day the Christian Church was officially born.

          From the day of Pentecost forward, the disciples and the early followers of Jesus Christ went forth boldly declaring that the savior, the Messiah had come. That the Messiah had performed miracles, that he said and did things that no one else had ever done before. That he was crucified, and the Apostles were able to testify that when they finally got to Jesus’ tomb, it was in fact an empty tomb. They taught people how love better, how build a better and a more just world, and how to pursue spiritual transformation.

          Due to all of this, it would seem that it is undeniable that Jesus spoke with and had authority in his words, actions, and deeds. There is an ongoing debate though, that has raged from day one of Christianity over who Jesus really was. Some say he was only a human, some say a prophet, or a teacher, yet our church and most churches believe that Jesus Christ was God on earth. That he was far more than a mere man, a mere teacher, or a mere prophet.

          For if the gospel accounts of scripture have any truth to them, then it is undeniable that Jesus had at least some authority and power given to him by God. By this I mean, at his very core level, was Jesus Christ not an incredibly transformative figure? If you’re looking at the gospel narratives as accurate, did Christ not say and do things that were beyond comprehension? Did he not make claims that were unique and powerful? Did people not flock to him by the thousands?

I mean think about it, if Jesus wasn’t truly powerful and authoritative, then why would the disciples and the other early followers of his often face martyrdom to preach the “good news” or gospel of Jesus Christ. If Jesus did not really change and shake up this whole earth, then would Christians in Rome and other places willingly die for their faith? Logic would tell us that no one in their right mind would follow something that they thought to be this untrue. So for most people, it has been commonly accepted for nearly two-thousand years that Jesus had power and authority here on earth.

The first Christians, who were predominately Jewish, followed what they called “The Way,” which was “The Way” of Christ. So it wasn’t that they abandoned God the Father, rather their faith was made complete through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. That a fuller view of God, a fuller view of salvation, and a fuller view of sanctification was needed. The vast majority of Christians believe that this fullness and richness has come to full fruition in the person and ministry of Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

          So Jesus Christ then, Jesus of Nazareth, had authority. The next question to ask then, is “who gave” Jesus “this authority?” In Greek the word “exousia,” which was in the first written addition of the New Testament, means Power and or Authority. So Jesus is asked this morning “who gave you this exousia?”

          This is the question under examination this morning, as “the chief priests and elders of the people” asked Jesus Christ, “What kind of authority do you have for doing these things? Who gave you this authority?”

          In the gospel of Matthew in chapter 21, Jesus continues to teach, perform miracles, specifically the healing of the blind man, and does and says many other things.

          Very clearly then, the “Chief priests and elders” would not have asked Jesus the questions they asked him this morning, if he wasn’t doing amazing things, would they?

          When we look at the reading from Psalm 78 from this morning, it begins by saying, “Listen, my people, to my teaching; tilt your ears toward the words of my mouth.” Jesus claimed in the gospels to be of God, to be “doing the will” of the Father. The Psalm then says, “I will open my mouth with proverb. I’ll declare riddles from days long gone—ones that we’ve heard and learned about, ones that our ancestors told us.” In this way, while Jesus said and did some things that were new and unique to him alone, he also said and did some things that had been said and taught from the beginning of faith in God.

The second portion of the Psalm reading from this morning discussed how “God performed wonders in their ancestors’ presence,” which is exactly what Jesus is being called into question for this morning. “Who gave you

this authority?” This “exousia?”

          In looking at the Apostle Paul’s Epistle or letter to the church in Philippi or the Philippians, the Apostle Paul says, “Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort in love, and sharing in the Spirit, any sympathy, complete my joy by thinking the same way, having the same love, being united, and agreeing with one another.” Jesus had authority and power, and commanded us all to love one another. The core of his authority and power is that of love of each other.

          The Apostle Paul then tells us to consider each other and others before ourselves. To love and serve each other. These were the teachings that Christ displayed and spoke with authority and power.

          The Apostle Paul then says, “Adopt the attitude that was in Christ Jesus: Though he was in the form of God, he did not consider being equal with God something to exploit.” So clearly the Apostle Paul thought Jesus was God on earth, but also thought that he had power and authority on earth.

          The Apostle Paul then says, that with all the power and the authority that Jesus did have, he chose to serve and love all people. He chose to show them this love, even to his own death on cross. Was there ever a greater love than this? The Apostle Paul then said, “Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

In the Gospel reading for this morning in Matthew, Jesus’s actions, speech, and deeds, are called into question by the “chief priests and elders.” While the gospel says that Jesus said and did all sorts of amazing things, this no doubt would prompt the question from the religious leaders in Jerusalem of “What kind of authority do you have for doing these things? Who gave you this authority?”

          This is what they asked Jesus, and I think they were hoping that he would say, “My authority comes from God.” Yet Jesus asked them a question, and told them that if they answered the question, than he would then tell them who his authority came from. Jesus then said speaking of John the Baptist, “Where did John get his authority to baptize? Did he get it from heaven or from humans?”

          Yet this caused a debate among the high priests and elders, and they said, “If we say ‘from heaven,’ he’ll say to us, ‘Then why didn’t you believe in him?’ But we can’t say ‘from humans’ because we’re afraid of the crowd, since everyone thinks John was a prophet.” So then what did the high priests and elders say to Jesus? The said, “We don’t know.”

          Jesus then said, then “Neither will I tell you what kind of authority I have to do these things.” You see they refused to admit publically that John the Baptist was a messenger from God, and if they did this, there is no way that they would admit publically that Jesus was the Messiah.

          Jesus then tells them the parable of the man with two sons. In this parable the man told his one son to go and work in the vineyard, and the son said, “No, I don’t want to,” yet he later changed his mind and went. The other son told his father “yes sir,” when was asked to work in the vineyard, but then he never went to work in the vineyard. Jesus then said, “Which one of these two did his father’s will?” Then they said, “The first one.”

          Jesus then looked at the high priests and the elders and said, “I assure you that tax collectors are prostitutes are entering God’s kingdom ahead of you.” Jesus then said, you didn’t believe that John the Baptist was called by God, but “tax collectors and prostitutes believe him.” So if seeing is truly believing, than why do the chief priests and elders still not believe? Was it fear? Was it uncertainty? Was it power?

          Don’t many of us still wrestle to this day with who Jesus was? For if he had power and authority on this earth, we might then say, well who was he? What does his life and ministry mean to us today? Can he truly transform my broken life, into a life of grace?

          I would like to close this message with a story. This story is called, “Whoever Gets the Son, Gets Everything,” by Woodrow Kroll. I told this story a while ago, but I think that it connects to today’s message. Here it is:

“A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art.”    

“When the Viet Nam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.”   

“About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door.  A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said, "Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life.  He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art.”    

“The young man held out his package. “I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this."    

“The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture.”

"Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me.  It's a gift." “The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.”

“The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection. On the platform sat the painting of the son.”

“The auctioneer pounded his gavel.” "We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?"

“There was silence. Then a voice in the back of the room shouted. "We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one." But the auctioneer persisted. "Will someone bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?"  

“Another voice shouted angrily.  "We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!" But still the auctioneer continued. "The son!  The son!  Who'll take the son?"

“Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room.  It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. "I'll give $10 for the painting." Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.  "We have $10, who will bid $20?" "Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters." "$10 is the bid, won't someone bid $20?"

“The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.”   

“The auctioneer pounded the gavel.  "Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!" A man sitting on the second row shouted. "Now let's get on with the collection!" “The auctioneer laid down his gavel. "I'm sorry, the auction is over." "What about the paintings?"  

"I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets everything!"   

          So here we are nearly two-thousand years after Jesus walked this earth. The question I have for you though, is do you receive the son? Do you believe that Jesus had power and authority on this earth?

          With the transforming power of Jesus Christ, I offer three challenges to us all this week. One, that if anyone is visiting or new in this church today, that we show them the love of Jesus. Two, that we live our faith through love and caring. Three that we continue to seek and after understand who Jesus was, and is. The one who had power and authority on earth. Amen.

Freeville/Homer Ave. UMC's - Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost - 09/21/14 Sermon - “How late in the day can we come to God?"

Sunday 09/21/14 Freeville/Homer Ave UMC’s

Sermon Title: “How late in the day can we come to God?”

Old Testament Scripture Lesson: Exodus 16:2-15

                                            

New Testament Scripture Lesson: Philippians 1:21-30

Gospel Lesson: Mathew 20:1-16

          Brothers and sisters, this morning we continue our journey into the weeks after the Feast of Pentecost. In fact, we are now in the Fifteenth week after Pentecost. Pentecost, that day so long ago that the Christian Church was born, as a result of a powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the disciples and the early followers of Jesus Christ. We will find ourselves in this post or after Pentecost season until we have our All Saints Sunday on Sunday November 2^nd. It might seem hard to believe, but the summer is now behind us, and we are moving towards All Saints Sunday, and beyond.

          This morning however, Jesus provides us with what I think is a powerful parable or story. With this parable or story, Jesus so eloquently explains salvation, grace, and the love and the generosity of God. This parable that Jesus will teach us this morning, will beg the question of us, “How late in the day can we come to God?”

          With this said, how many of you were ever told by someone that you were “going to hell?” How many of you have ever heard a pastor or someone else say to someone you knew, or someone that you had never met that, that person was “going to hell?”

          So often, I find that when people say such things, they are looking at a person, and are looking at what they perceive to be the person’s sins in the here and the now. So for example, if a person were to tell at 20-year old, that they were “going to hell,” but that person ended up living until 90-years of age, then how would the person who told the 20-year that they were “going to hell,” know how the other 70-years of the 20-year old’s life would turn out?

          You see as Christians, we generally believe that faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior is how we obtain salvation right? That by believing in Jesus Christ, by living for Jesus, by living for God, than we are on a path of righteousness and salvation. Yet as righteous as we may in fact become, do we not all still have to stand before Almighty God one day? We all do, don’t we?

          Through what Jesus did for us on the cross, through God’s grace, we are now acceptable to God, as sinful and as wretched as we are.

In this way, I very much believe that Christ is at the center of our faith, but what I don’t believe, what I don’t think that God has given us the authority to decide, is what happens to others when they die there earthly death. While the Bible has clear words of what Jesus said, when in John 14:16 he said, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me,” I don’t think that we have the divine authority to tell anyone their fate in the hereafter. We can show them scripture, we can explain Christ to them, but only God makes that decision.

          So we follow Christ, we focus on building our faith, the faith of others, loving our neighbors and all people, and making the world better. In looking at what happens to non-believers when they die, or believers of different faiths when they die, let’s keep that in God’s hands.

          While I firmly and confidently proclaim salvation in our Lord Jesus Christ, the question that Jesus then raises to us this morning, is “How late in the day can we come to God?”

          Perhaps growing up we were as the term goes, “a hell raiser.” Perhaps we were as far from Christ as one could be, but what about now? Perhaps you knew people who used to reject and rebel against God’s love, but yet now they believe. When is the best time then to develop faith in Jesus, in God? When is the best time in our lives to come to God? Is it when we are 5-years old, is it when we are 20-years old, is it when we are 50-years old, is it when are 70-years old, or how about when we are 90-years old? Further, what is our reward for coming to God at those different ages? Certainly we might think, if we have been a Christian for fifty or more years that we get a special pin and some sort of high honors in heaven? I mean the Christians that have had faith longer get seniority in heaven don’t they?

          While we will all have to account for everything we have done one day, Jesus Christ tells us, if you come to me, if you repent, and if you believe in me, if you labor in my vineyard, then your reward will be the same, no matter when you started working in the day. That as soon as we believe in Jesus Christ with all our hearts, all our minds, and all our souls, and as soon as we repent, we are in the “Lambs book of Life.”

In fact, consider the criminal that was on the cross next to Jesus Christ’s cross. Speaking of the criminal who got crucified next to Jesus Christ is says in Luke 23:39-43, “One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

Now how long did that criminal on the cross next to Jesus Christ then live after this exchange of words? Did he live for 20-minutes longer? Did he live for 1-hour longer?

The point, is that this criminal that was on the cross next to Jesus Christ, came pretty “late in the day” of his life to God. To close for comfort if you ask me, but his faith saved him. Perhaps someone earlier that day told him he was “going to hell,” but Jesus, God, had different plans.

In the reading from Exodus from this morning, the Israelites who had just been lead out of slavery in Egypt are complaining as they are walking along in the wilderness. They said at least in Egypt “we could sit by pots cooking meat and eat our fill of bread.” Then of course God tells Moses that bread from heaven, and then quail will come down and feed the Israelites daily.

So the now freed Israelites are complaining that God’s provision was better when they were under slavery in Egypt. The Israelites are worried that God will not provide. That God will not do what he said he would do. They are trying to renegotiate their contract with God. They are trying to negotiate with the landowner of the great vineyard. You see they had faith in God, but they questioned that faith.

In the Apostle Paul’s Epistle or letter to the church in Philippi or the Philippians, the Apostle Paul talks about how sometimes he wishes that he could just leave this life and be with Christ now, but that he realizes that God still wants him to stay and labor for him. In fact, the Apostle Paul says, “I’m sure of this: I will stay alive and remain with all of you to help your progress and the joy of your faith.” Paul then tells the church in Philippi that God is faithful and that while we might suffer for “Christ’s sake” that God is faithful. That when God promised us heaven and eternity with him, that we meant it.

When looking at our gospel of Mathew reading from this morning, Jesus tells the parable or story of the landowner. Jesus begins this parable or story by saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. After he agreed with the workers to pay them a denarion, he sent them into his vineyard.” By the way, a “denarion” was the equivalency of one Roman silver coin, which was about a day’s wage.

Jesus then continues to say however, that the Landowner then went out again at about “nine in the morning,” and again “around noon,” and again in “three in the afternoon,” and again “around five in the afternoon.” All of these workers that were hired at different times, were also promised to be paid. Instead of being told that they would receive a denarion for their day’s labor, the landowner said that he would pay them “whatever is right.”

So when the sun went down that day, “the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the workers and give them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and moving on finally to the first.’

To the surprise of all of the workers hired at different times of the day, they all received one denarion, or one Roman silver coin, or one day’s wages.

The workers that were hired earliest in the day “grumbled against the landowner” however, and thought that because they worked longer, they should get paid more money. You see they had all agreed, and all had made a contract with the landowner, but they were trying to renegotiate their contract with the landowner.

The landowner then said to the workers, “Friend, I did you no wrong. Didn’t I agree to pay you a denarion? Take what belongs to you and go. I want to give to this one who was hired last the same as I give to you.”

The landowner then said, “Don’t I have the right to do what I want with what belongs to me? Or are you resentful because I’m generous?”

The landowner, who of course in this parable of story, being God, says, “So those who are last will be first. And those who are first will be last.”

My brothers and sister, no matter where we find ourselves in the day or evening of our lives, Jesus tell us, that if we come to him, come to God, no matter when in the day or evening it is, the reward will be the same. That we don’t need renegotiate our contract, we just need to believe and trust God. We don’t need to tell someone else what happens to them when they die, rather we need to trust and believe in Jesus, believe in God.

The logical question one might though, is why shouldn’t I just live awfully, and then repent right at the end. My answer to this, is because there is no better place to be than working in God’s vineyard, under God’s guidance and love, working with all of God’s people. Believe me when I tell you while the reward for coming to God might be the same, the blessings that you will receive in this life grow the longer you serve God, who is the great landowner. So while we can all have eternity, we can lives of victory, peace, grace, and mercy, in the here and the now. Or we can live corrupt lives, and hope that at the very end of our lives, that we can pull a rip cord to deploy a “golden parachute.”

Jesus asks us, to come and work for him and serve him now, not tomorrow, not the next day, because tomorrow isn’t promised to any of us. Instead playing a game of “Chicken” with our hearts, our minds, and our souls, let us come to God today. While we might struggle, while might try to renegotiate our contract with the landowner or God at times, let’s have faith in his promise, in his truth.

Brothers and sisters, I want to close with a short story about an experience that I had. I was on a men’s retreat about 7-years ago, and at that time I was working as a Family Caseworker in Tompkins County. In this job I made very very little money. On this weekend that I was serving on, we had an opportunity to sit and pray with some of pastors that were present, as I wasn’t yet even a seminarian.

I remember sitting and pouring my heart out to a good friend of mine, who has been a United Methodist Pastor for well over forty-years. I told him how little I made, and how it was hard to get by. He listened intently until I was finished, and then asked me if my house had heat. I said it did. He asked me if I had food to eat. I said that I did. He asked me if I was able to arrive to drive where we were in my own car. I said I was able to. He said even further, can you and wife even do a little something fun once and while. I said that we can. He said, does your wife love you. I said she does. He said does God love. I said he does.

What he then said next destroyed me. He then said, “So let me get this straight Paul, you are telling me that God’s provision is not enough for you. You are telling me that you are trying to renegotiate your contract with Almighty God. That his promise and what he has given you isn’t enough.”

That night back in 2007 was a pivotal point for me in my faith development, as I heard God saying, “Friend, I did you no wrong. Didn’t I agree to pay you a denarion? Take what belongs to you and go.”

Brothers and sisters, let us come to God, the landowner today, not tomorrow, not next week, not next year, because he will bless us, he will guide us, and his reward and his provision will be enough. “How late in the day can we come to God.” Amen.

Freeville/Homer Ave. UMC's - Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost - 09/14/14 Sermon - “How do Christians do business?"

Sunday 09/14/14 Freeville/Homer Ave UMC’s

Sermon Title: “How do Christians do business?”

Old Testament Scripture Lesson: Exodus 15:1b-11, 20-21

                                            

New Testament Scripture Lesson: Romans 14:1-12

Gospel Lesson: Mathew 18:21-35

          My brothers and sisters, welcome once again on this the Fourteenth Sunday after the Feast of Pentecost. Pentecost, that day so long ago that Holy Spirit fire filled the disciples and the early followers of Jesus Christ. On that day, the Christian Church was officially born.

          Today though, I want to talk Christian business ethics and being honest with one another.

To start this off, I have a question for everyone here. Here goes, has anyone here ever gotten uncomfortable buying things, when it requires intense negotiations? You know the type of venue like a flea market, where everything is negotiable. For me, this is also why I don’t like buying cars. I so dislike the haggling process over the price. In business and in shopping settings such as this, we might find ourselves sometimes being a little protective or a little defensive.

I know for me, when I am in these situations I often ask myself a lot of mental questions. The first mental question I often ask myself is, is this salesperson being honest and trustworthy? I then think, is this car, or that item fairly priced? These mental questions could continue and continue in our minds far beyond just these two questions?

Yet sometimes when we are doing business, shopping, and etc., we have concerns about being tricked, lied to, or cheated, don’t we? Do all people in this world do business honestly, fairly, forgivingly, or in love? No, unfortunately they do not.

          So, brothers and sisters, how do those of us who claim the title Christians do business? Are we forgiving with one another, fair, just, and decent, or are we the opposite of all of those things?

          I remember one time that Melissa and I were doing some shopping for food and some other things that we needed. After we paid, the cashier then handed us our change and our receipt. As we were exiting the store, I began to count the money that was handed to me by the cashier. I quickly realized as we were exiting the store that the cashier had given me an extra 10-dollar bill. I was a little shocked by this at first.

          I think for some of us in a moment like that we say, what do we do? On one shoulder we have that little angel and on the other shoulder we that little devil. The angel says, “give the money back, it’s the right thing to do.” The devil however says, “that cashier screwed up, and because they did, you get more money. Just take the money and run!”

          What to do, what to do. I then quickly headed back into that store and gave the extra 10-dollar bill back to the cashier of the store. I remember that the cashier was so grateful that I had done that.

          As Christians, are there expectations that God has of us around how we do business, how we conduct ourselves in commerce, how we live?

          You know, I remember back when I was a tutor for the Ithaca City School District, the school had a tutoring policy that if a student didn’t show up for a tutoring appointment, or if a student failed to let the tutor know they would be in attendance, then we could mark down a half-hour of paid time.

I remember one day that I showed up to a student’s house and the parent answered the door when I rang the doorbell. When the student’s mother came to the door, she said, “Oh I am sorry that I didn’t call you, but my son is sick today.” I then asked the mother if she would sign my time sheet for tutoring her son, and she then told me, “just mark down that you were here the full two-hours.” I then said to the student’s mother, “I’m sorry, but I can’t do that.” She then said, “but who would know?” I said, “I would know.” My tutoring was paying for part of seminary education at the time, so believe me that little devil on my shoulder pushed my\e hard to put those full two-hours down.

          For us here though, as Christians, how do we do business? How do we conduct ourselves in the commerce of our daily lives? Do we do business fairly, honestly, decently, and consider the other person. Sure we seek to make a living, but do we have care and concern for the other person.

          In our reading from the Book of Exodus from this morning, we hear some of the story of the Jewish people, the Israelites, leaving or making an Exodus or exit from slavery in Egypt. For God had taken them through their hard time, and was delivering them to freedom. If God has delivered us to freedom, is that reflected in how we conduct ourselves? In how we do we business? Are we fair, giving, and decent?

          In the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Rome from this morning, he tells the church in Rome, or the Romans to, “Welcome the person who is weak in faith—but not in order to argue about differences of opinion.” When we are weak in faith, we are more vulnerable. When someone is seen as weak and vulnerable, how do we as Christians do business with them? How do some people though do business with someone who is weak and vulnerable?

          The Apostle Paul then goes on to discuss the great diversity that exists among people, and among people in the church. Yet he says, “We don’t live for ourselves and we don’t die for ourselves. If we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord.”

          Do we live for each other, do we do business with each other fairly, honestly, and justly? Do we seek unity, to accept, to love, or do we seek our own methods of gaining wealth and power. Are willing to do dishonest and do sinful things, to get ahead?

          This brings us to the gospel of Mathew reading from this morning. In this reading, Jesus tells Peter that he we must be forgiving, “Not just seven times, but rather as many as seventy-seven times.”

          Jesus then says, “the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle account with his servants.” Jesus then says, “When he began to settle accounts, they brought to him a servant that owed him ten thousand bags of gold.” The servant of course didn’t have this much money to pay the king, so the king ordered that the servant and his family be sold to help to settle to the account of the owed money. Yet as this order from the king was being given, the servant fell to his knees and said, “Please, be patient with me, and I’ll pay you back.” The gospel then says, “The master had compassion on that servant, released him and forgave the loan.”

          So then this now forgiven servant, who was discharged from his debt, leaves the king’s presence. When he exits the king’s castle, this same servant then sees a fellow servant that “owed him one hundred coins.” Then the just forgiven servant, “grabbed him around the throat and said, “Pay me back what you own me.” Likewise this servant fell down and begged to forgiven servant to be patient with him, promising to pay him back. Yet the forgiven servant put his fellow servant who owed him one-hundred coins in prison.

          When this all happened, some of the other servants of the king or master saw what the forgiven servant did to his fellow servant, and then they went and told the king. The king then was furious and called the first servant back in to the castle. The king then said, “You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you appealed to me. Shouldn’t you also have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?” The master then reinstated the first servant’s debt, and made him repay the whole debt.

          Jesus lastly explains, that forgiveness and love of each other is required if we expect the same from God, our king, our master.

          So when we do business, we buy and trade, we are out about doing our daily business and activities, are we doing so like Christ? Are we doing business like Christians, or like the unforgiving servant?

“I would like to close this morning with a story about the founder of the Methodist movement John Wesley, called “Wesley’s Wealth.” Here is how it goes: “the modern Australian way is to spend, spend, spend, to the very limits of your income and then some more!”

“A few hundred years ago the great preacher and evangelist John Wesley showed us another way. Wesley lived in economically uncertain times, yet from humble beginnings he became so well known that his income eventually reached 1400 pounds per year. In 2001 this would be the equivalent of earning around $300,000.”

“So what did he do with all this wealth? Did he tithe it? No. Wesley went way beyond tithing. He disciplined himself to live on just 30 pounds of the 1400 pounds he earned every year. He gave away 98% of all he earned and lived on just 2%!”

“Wesley once preached a sermon on Luke 16.9. In it he spelled out his philosophy: money is a tool that can be used for great good or great ill. “It is an excellent gift of God” he claimed, “answering the noblest ends. In the hands of his children, it is food for the hungry, drink for the thirsty, raiment for the naked: It gives to the traveler and the stranger where to lay his head. By it we may supply the place to the widow, and of a father to the fatherless. We may be a defense for the oppressed, a means of health to the sick, of ease to them that are in pain; it may be as eyes to the blind, as feet to the lame; yea, a lifter up from the gates of death! It is therefore of the highest concern that all who fear God know how to employ this valuable talent; that they be instructed how it may answer these glorious ends, and in the highest degree.”

“He went on to spell out three simple rules which can guide us: gain all you can, save all you can, give all you can. Wesley lived out these principles, on another occasion remarking: , “If I leave behind me ten pounds…you and all mankind [can] bear witness against me, that I have lived and died a thief and a robber.”

          So my brothers and sisters “how do Christians do business?” Are we sacrificing like this? Do we earn what we need, and give away much of the rest, or are our business methods that we utilize more brutal, more unforgiving, and more harsh?

          My challenge to us all this week then, is to forgive someone who owes you a small debt. Give something away to someone who needs it. Be flexible with someone who needs your help, and above all be forgiving. For this is how “Christians do business.” Amen.